Jílková’s story is a testament to the strength of passion and athletics. While her love for racing was cultivated at a young age, her persistent dedication is what led her to success.
Gabriela Jílková in 2019. Source: Wikimedia Commons
All quotations come from Jílková and her 2025 interview with Radio Prague International.
EARLY LIFE
Born in Roztoky, a town outside of Prague, Jílková’s interest in racing started during a time before she can remember. She only knows the story from her parents.
““I was on holiday in Croatia with my parents. Every time we went from the hotel to the sea, we would pass a go-kart track. I would see it from the car window and say that I would really like to try it, but my parents always said no. Maybe they also said that it was not for girls, I don’t know. But after a while I managed to convince them, and when I got in the car and drove for the first ten minutes, no one could get me out of there, I just wanted to keep driving. It became such a tradition that every time we went to the beach, we had to stop there, and when we came back from the beach, we had to do the same. The owner of the go-kart rental noticed it and talked to my parents. He told them that he thought I had talent, that there were go-kart races and that maybe they could support me.”
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THE RACE STARTS
Once Jílková reached the minimum age requirement of 8 for junior go-kart racing, she began competing for the national championship. While she wasn’t the only girl competing, she was the first girl to win the title of Czech Republic champion for the sport.
By 2012, Jílková progressed to speed car racing. Her first race was in the Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup, where she placed 53rd. Quickly, she climbed the ranks, placing 5th in the 2013 Remus Formula Renault 2.0 Cup and 9th in the 2013 Supercar Challenge Superlights - PR1 series.
Despite her talent, Jílková and her family struggled to finance her progress within the sport. Speed car racing is an expensive sport; it requires a team of people for the crew and expensive race car equipment, which is why many racers seek sponsorships and teams to compete with.
In her interview with Radio Prague International, she talks about the financial hardships of racing and reveals the opportunity that connected her with her early sponsors.
““There was a national competition called Formula Star, and anyone in the Czech Republic could try it. There were several hundred competitors and there were many categories to try out. There were physical tests, how to talk to the media, go-karts, something like slalom... The winner of the competition competed in the free season in Formula Glory, which is today something like Formula 4, a promotional formula. I won the competition, and so I could move on. And actually, in that first season, I won the title in the single-seater race, which made it easier for me to get sponsors and so on.”
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By winning the title for single-seater race in the Formula Star in the first season, she outshone hundreds of competitors and secured sponsorships that gave her the support to continue racing.
HER JOURNEY
At this point, it seems as though Jílková is a natural, but her edge comes from her serious passion and dedication for racing.
In 2014, Jílková had a serious accident while racing in Austria during a Clio Cup race. She was only nineteen at the time and had broken multiple vertebrae. And despite the accident, Jílková was committed to continue racing.
““My first two questions after the accident in the hospital were about whether I would have to have surgery, and when I would be able to get back in the car. So I wasn’t afraid at all, I was really looking forward to racing again.””
Fortunately, she would not need to have surgery, but the inactivity in her racing career led many sponsors to rescind their support offers. Yet again, she would not let the hard situations deter her.
By 2016, just two years after her accident, she started competing again. Due to the lack of traction in her racing career, she would also take on jobs as a test-driver and give driving lessons.
With unsuccessful trials as a test-driver and the start of the global COVID pandemic in 2020, Jílková channeled her love for motor racing into the virtual realm. She started sim racing and streamed her games to hundreds of viewers on the social streaming platform Twitch. This is where her social media handle @QuickGabi was born.
THE RACE CONTINUES
Despite her growing social media presence, Jílková was quick to get back on track with her racing career.
She returned to racing in 2021, receiving the opportunity to race for Zakspeed, a motor racing team from Germany. With her new team and her Mercedes AMG GT3, Jílková won the title of GT Winter Series Champion of 2021, the event that would mark the beginning of Jílková’s big break. This shocking title secured her races with teams in future championships and opened doors to becoming a test driver again.
Jílková trained hard to come back to the racing scene after a major accident, a proud accomplishment for any athlete, and she did it during a pandemic.
Gabriela Jílková 2023. Source: Gabriela Jílková Facebook.
As of this writing, she is competing in the GT4 European Series and is an official Porsche contracted driver.
On Saturday, May 17, 2025, Gabriela Jílková raced with the all-female Matmut Evolution team for the Pro-Am championship battle at the GT4 European Series in Zandvoort Circuit in the Netherlands. The team finished fourth, and Matmut Evolution now sits sixth in the Pro-Am Championship. The next race will take place from June 26-29 at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium.
Gabriela Jílková at Zandvoort, her most recent race. Source: Gabriela Jílková Facebook.
For more on Jílková’s experiences competing as a woman in a male-dominated sport, I highly recommend you check out the Czech Radio Interview with Gabriela Jílková.
Written by Baycha Isik
SOURCES
“A need for speed: Racing driver Gabriela Jílková on women in motorsport, her love for driving, and electric race cars.” Radio Prague International, Czech Radio, 02 Apr. 2025, A need for speed: Racing driver Gabriela Jílková on women in motorsport, her love for driving, and electric race cars. - Czech Radio.
Böcker, Mika. “GT4 Europe: Gabriela Jílková and Cindy Gudet Fight Back to Fourth in Class in Zandvoort.” News, Racers Behind The Helmet, 20 May, 2025, GT4 Europe: Gabriela Jílková and Cindy Gudet Fight Back to Fourth in Class in Zandvoort - Racers Behind The Helmet.
Harvey, Sophie. “Woman Spotlight Wednesday: Gabriela Jílková.” Formula E, DIVEBOMB Motorsport, 25 Oct. 2023, Woman Spotlight Wednesday: Gabriela Jílková - DIVEBOMB.
“Gabriela Jílková.” Drivers, Driver Database, Gabriela Jílková - Driver Database.
“Gabriela Jílková.” Wikipedia, Gabriela Jílková - Wikipedia.